Maria Recommends

Fuzz Is My New Buzz

Fuzz Is My New Buzz

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older (with the granny glasses to prove it), but I’m starting to tire of the whole “buzz”-chasing world. Now, it’s all about fuzz for me. What’s fuzz? It’s the happy feeling and comfort of a warm, soft cashmere blanket, or a place that just delivers the goods over and over […]

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Buy Local, Buy American

Buy Local, Buy American

Last night I went into a Lowe’s for the first time. I needed to buy a cat door for the chicken coop I’m building (long story, I’ll save it for later!). I’d never been to Lowe’s before. It was fine. Big. It had that stinky chemical smell. I wouldn’t rush to go back for any […]

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Top Ten Reasons Why Art is Essential to the Human Spirit

Top Ten Reasons Why Art is Essential to the Human Spirit

I’m currently staying in this really cool hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, called 21C. It’s a museum dedicated to 21st century art, so as you can imagine, there’s art everywhere. As I ate dinner by myself in the absolutely yummiful hotel restaurant called Proof, gazing at amazing and bizarre horse photographs (with a wonderful video loop […]

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The Very Selfish Benefits of Helping Others

The Very Selfish Benefits of Helping Others

I am a board member of a few non-profit groups. I look for ones to which I have something to offer, but also ones that I have something to learn from. I am lucky in that I can afford to be generous, but honestly, it’s harder to be generous with my time than with my […]

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how to talk to your daughter about sex, the sex talk, talking to your kids about sex

10 Easy Ways to Talk with Your Daughter about Sex

I have three girls—one who is grown, one who is just going through puberty, and one who is almost 3—and I am a firm believer in talking about sex. My husband and I both came from families where that didn’t happen well…OK, at all. And we were left to our own devices, which is NEVER a good thing when you are a kid. I never want my girls to feel as ignorant and underprepared as I was. Because whether we like it or not, our daughters turn into young women with sexual feelings, and if we love them, we want their experiences to be positive, love-filled ones. Ignorance makes it easier for young girls to be taken advantage of. And these days, unprepared sex can lead to all sorts of diseases and death, in addition to lifelong trauma. And while a vaccine like the HPV shot makes it seem like our girls are safe, not only are there risks associated with the vaccine, it only covers one small aspect of their sexual safety.

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Why I Love Country Music

Why I Love Country Music

I am a latecomer to the country music scene. I grew up on progressive radio and worked my way through all the alternative and pop scenes—always keeping an edge and never going straight into the mainstream. I was milk-fed on Jackson Browne (and he will always feel like home to me). But I bought the […]

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What the Hex?!

What the Hex?!

You may be wondering about my beautiful logo at the top of the page. It’s a hex sign. What’s a hex sign? It’s a traditional form of decorative art of the Pennsylvania Dutch (who aren’t Dutch at all, but German immigrants) and it’s got a mysterious past. In its most innocent form, a hex sign […]

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Maria's First Annual Top Ten Farm to Table Restaurant Recommendations

Maria’s First Annual Top Ten Farm to Table Restaurant Recommendations

The places that make you feel good and make you want to go back to again and again. Vote for your favorite and send me your recommendations! 1. Bolete – Bethlehem, PA. Aside from the fact that Gourmet Magazine just listed it as one of its favorites, it’s so close to home it’s the place […]

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